Child-killer's verdict affirmed in 2004 case

But state appeals court orders reduced sentence for Chad Strong.

But state appeals court orders reduced sentence for Chad Strong.

September 09, 2006|MARTIN DeAGOSTINO Tribune Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a Goshen man's conviction for a notorious child-abuse murder in 2004. But the court did order the trial court to reduce Chad E. Strong's related sentence for felony neglect of a dependent from 50 years to 20 years. Strong killed his girlfriend's daughter, TaraNova Glick, age 3, while she was in his care at his parents' home. The girl's mother, Dusty James, is serving a 55-year sentence for neglect of a dependent causing death. Evidence showed that TaraNova died from "blunt force injuries of the abdomen," which Strong inflicted by kneeing her stomach. According to the Appeals Court, an autopsy also revealed bruises and abrasions on TaraNova's ear, arms and back, as well as signs that her hair had been "forcibly pulled out of the scalp." The girl died at Elkhart General Hospital on July 13, 2004, the same day that Strong admitted to pressing his knee against her stomach. But he also said he had accidentally stepped on her several days earlier, as she slept on the floor in Strong and James' bedroom. Police who searched the home after TaraNova's death found several bloodstained items, including diapers, baby wipes, a comforter and the sleeping bag that served as the child's bed. Strong appealed his conviction on multiple grounds, including improper evidence at trial and double jeopardy -- being tried twice for the same crime. But the Appeals Court said autopsy photographs introduced at trial were not overly prejudicial to Strong's case, because they had "strong probative and demonstrative value" regarding TaraNova's internal injuries. The court did find an element of double jeopardy in Strong's conviction for murder and felony neglect of a dependent causing death. Because "Strong cannot be convicted twice for the same death," the Appeals Court said, the trial court should reduce the neglect charge to neglect causing serious bodily injury and reduce the sentence accordingly.